Over the next couple of weeks, I want to talk about a few things that I have personally gone through as a father that have helped me maintain my overall health and kept things good in my household. One of the most common things I hear from men when they come into 95 Nutrition is they want to lose the weight they gained

Since they had a family.

“I used to be a size 32”

“I used to have time to eat good”

“I don’t have the energy any more”

Sound familiar? It's time to change. No more excuses. Yes, I am calling them excuses. While you may have a lifestyle that doesn’t allow for the amount of free time you once had, and you have more responsibility now that you once did, there is nothing good about having a traditional ‘dad bod’.

Listen, I totally get it. I’ve been through these things too. When my daughter was born my entire world changed. Two jobs, overtime, school, no sleep, no time, another mouth to feed, and DIAPERS, let alone all of the other expenses. I was also actively competing in powerlifting and followed a very structured eating regimen. For those of you who don’t know me well, training was not just something I did recreationally for fun. It is who I was (and still am). I have been training in one thing or another for 26 years. This is who I am.

Now, I would be lying if I said it wasn’t a challenge and a major adjustment for me personally, because let's be honest any parent would put their child’s needs and wants in front of theirs in a heartbeat. I would stop training in a heartbeat without question if a situation arose where I needed to for her. But rather than simply giving on my healthy eating habits and cutting down on exercise because I was tired and couldn’t find time, I modified what I was doing to keep things sustainable. This was important me personally for a couple reasons.

1- I need to be there for her in every way needed. That means physically spending my time with her, but also being in good shape to play with her, whether on my hands and knees having tea parties or helping coach her in a sports she chooses later on in life.

2- It is also important to me that she understands what it means to live a healthy lifestyle. Exercise is part of that, but nutritionally even more. In a world where media is marketing harder than ever, and the quality of food is the worst is ever has been, she needs to know how keep herself healthy. If she grows up seeing me balancing life and taking care of myself, she will know what it takes to be successful.

These are the reasons I first stepped into 95 Nutrition. To me, it was more important to be there on the floor with her playing, watching her crawl and walk for the first time, rather than spending hours in the kitchen. But I also wanted to make sure that I was going to be in good enough health to play outside with her when she got older like I did with my parents.  A parents job is to teach their children important life lessons, and those are lesson best taught by example.

I was able to fill in the gaps of my nutrition with meals from 95. The macros and calories were all figures out which was less work for me to do, and the best part was I didn’t have to cook anywhere near as much. I didn’t miss a beat. This allowed me to spend more time with my daughter on the floor playing where I wanted to be. Less time and energy in the kitchen also meant I was able to put more overall energy with my wife, and at work. It is so easy to lets the daily stresses of kids, bills, work, and everything else pile up and can really make a negative impact on everyone in your household. It is also important that you don’t lose sight of who you are. That is why we are here! Come in and talk to me, I understand what you are going through.

Be the man you want your daughter to marry.

Be the man you want your son to be.

Show your kids what it takes to be both healthy and successful.